Stark Beauty

It turns out that the type of architecture in which I prefer to live or work is very different from that which I’m drawn to when I’m holding my camera. It’s the stark beauty of clean lines and simplicity that attracts me when it comes to taking photos of buildings. And this tendency toward minimalism can also happen in writing.

Though, like the old church steeple sandwiched between the straight walls in the featured photo above, there has to be some element that mixes things up a little—brings something more to catch the eye.

The Manitoba Legislative Building has all kinds of beauty, but the crisp row of columns, cut by an angled railing, pleases my eye a bit more than all the ornate carvings do.

For me, the taller section, viewed from the side of this building, pulls this shot out of the mundane and makes it one of my favourites—a photo I’ve tacked to the wall above my writing desk.

And, speaking of writing, it seems I sometimes lean towards stark snapshots there, as well. I was surprised the first time that happened because I normally tend towards laughter and digression in both conversation and writing. Is that minimalistic prose good or am I not digging deep enough, maybe being lazy?

Still, when using camera or pen, something unexpected can be a good thing. Like the triangular bit on the roof of this concrete factory and the partial shadow that make a difference in this shot.

The streetlight hovering beside this government building, an example of brutalist architecture, helps jazz it up just enough.

The wavy reflections of sky and buildings on a mirrored wall add something for the eye.

And strings of lights hung against this plain corrugated tin wall make it more than ordinary.

A camera and a pen can highlight some stark beauty when I might not be expecting it. Does this happen to you?